


A Space Between Us

by isabellajewel



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-19
Updated: 2019-06-29
Packaged: 2020-01-16 06:45:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18516058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/isabellajewel/pseuds/isabellajewel
Summary: She feels some sort of force, pushing her away from him. Why is the force there? How do you break it? That’s left for her to find out.





	1. Imagine

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! This is my first every chapter on this website, so sorry if there are any errors! I’m also sorry that it’s a very short chapter. I’m just trying to set the plot up! Feel free to give me ideas for the next story I write. Thanks! I hope you enjoy!

Today was the day. The day Lydia had been dreading for weeks. She felt as if she were unprepared for today, although she had everything ready. 

She had bought her dress, her 4 inch black heels were beside the bag her dress was neatly folded in, all of her makeup she had precisely chosen for today were on the nightstand next to the bag and the shoes. Everything was prepared. 

Everything except her. Lydia felt emotionally unprepared for what was to come. Not only did she feel unprepared, Lydia felt alone. She knew that wasn’t true, everyone had tried to comfort her. They said it may hurt now, but the internal open wound would eventually heal. 

Lydia knew they were right. But she couldn’t help but feel she was all by herself. She knew there were people—her friends, for that matter—that felt the same way she did. This included Scott, Malia, Kira, Mr. Argent...Stiles. They all felt her pain. 

Even though Lydia felt absolutely terrible, she knew Scott was feeling worse. He had lost his first love. Lydia couldn’t imagine that. Her first love had been Jackson, and she had thought she lost him the day he turned into a werewolf. She felt as if her heart had been crushed into tiny little pieces, then those pieces had been put into a shredder. 

But she knew Scott and Allison had a much stronger connection than her and Jackson ever did. So she couldn’t imagine how Scott was feeling. 

Sometimes she tried to think of how he was feeling. She tried to put herself in his shoes. She often thought of someone she had a strong connection with, so maybe—MAYBE—she could know what he was going through. 

She often tried imagining this same thing happening to Jackson. If he had been killed by the Oni instead of Allison. That crushed Lydia. Although it was sad, she felt it wasn’t strong enough to feel what Scott was feeling. 

She also tried to imagine Aiden being killed by the Oni. That one was pretty easy to imagine, because he had been killed, which she was still recovering from. But she imagined him being stabbed by the Oni exactly how Allison had been stabbed. Of course that made her sad. Even though they never had a super strong connection, they had a thing. There was a spark she always knew was there, and when she imagined him being stabbed by an Oni, she felt as if that spark had been put out, and that broke her heart. 

But, that still didn’t exactly feel right. It didn’t seem like that was the pain Scott was going through. 

So, after she had tried to imagine Jackson and Aiden being stabbed instead of Allison, she decided today that she wanted to try and imagine someone else. Someone who she had known just barely since the third grade, but have grown so close to the past year. Someone who she felt she had a strong connection with, maybe almost as strong as Scott and Allison’s. Maybe stronger. The person she had just pretty recently felt a pull towards, like a magnetic pull. After she had kissed him, in fact. After she had kissed Stiles. 

She closed her eyes, pictured Allison getting stabbed by an Oni, and then changed the figure of Allison to Stiles. 

She vividly imagined Stiles being stabbed by the Oni. Sometimes she wished she hadn’t. The pain, horror, terror she had felt while imagining that was...unbelievable. 

Her eyes still closed, she began to break out in a sweat. Imagining Stiles being dead...

A tear rolled down her cheek. She couldn’t even imagine a life without Stiles. Without his wit, his sarcasm, his kind heart, his everything. She couldn’t take it. 

She put her head in her hands, continuing to sweat, tears still streaming down her cheeks, and she realized. This is what Scott felt like. 

She kept her eyes closed and tried to breath. She told herself it wasn’t true. That he was still here. But she couldn’t get the image out of her head. Stiles being stabbed by an Oni. 

She didn’t snap out of it until she felt a soft hand on her shoulder. Her eyes immediately opened, a little shocked from the contact, and turned to see who had touched her. It was Stiles. 

She took a breath of relief. Even though she knew he was still here, she liked knowing for one hundred percent sure he was here. 

She stood up and immediately hugged him, burying her wet face in his neck. She barely gripped his shirt, tears still rolling slowly down her cheeks. 

She could tell he was obviously surprised by the contact she had given him, but she also knew he was okay with it. He hugged her back gently and comfortingly. 

“You’re still here,” Lydia said reassuringly. 

“Of course I’m still here,” he responded, clearly confused about why she had even said that. 

She held onto him a little longer, but then realized she wasn’t even ready. She quickly let go and wiped her eyes. 

“I’m...I’m sorry. I’m not even ready,” Lydia told him, pacing around her room. 

“No, it’s ok. I’m early anyway,” Stiles said. 

Lydia carefully pulled her black dress out of the store bag and smoothed it out a bit. She wanted to iron it, but she knew she didn’t have nearly enough time. 

“Uh, I’ll be right back. You can wait here,” Lydia said to Stiles. 

“Yeah, I’ll just sit here,” he responded, sitting on her bed. 

She gave a small smile, then left the room to go into the bathroom. 

She put on her dress and slowly zipped it up. She slipped on her heels, did her makeup quickly but beautifully, and looked at herself in the mirror. 

This was the last outfit she’d be wearing next to Allison. She had really wanted to iron her dress, because she thought it was important to look perfect for this event, even it if was just a few wrinkles. 

She took a deep breath, and thought...would Allison care if Lydia looked perfect just for her? Lydia knew the answer was no, but she still felt she had to look nice. She looked good enough. She just hoped it was good enough in Allison’s eyes, too. 

She turned away from the mirror and walked out of the bathroom. She reentered her room and saw Stiles looking in her mirror, trying to fix his tie. She smiled. 

She walked up to him and fixed it for him, very quickly, actually. He smiled back at her. 

“How is it that you know how to fix a tie better than me, when you’ve never worn a tie in your life and I’ve worn one about 20 times?” Stiles chuckled. Lydia grinned. 

“I guess I’m just smarter than you,” Lydia joked. 

“Come on, we both knew that already,” Stiles replied with a soft laugh. 

Lydia laughed with him. That was the first time she had laughed since before Allison died. And it was strange to think that Stiles was the one who made her laugh. 

She began to think about what people had told her just a few days after Allison had died. That her open wound would eventually heal. 

She thought that maybe...if Stiles was the one to make her feel better on the day she had been dreading for weeks, maybe he could also be the one to heal her open wound.


	2. The Funeral

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She feels unprepared. She feels like all of this is her fault. She feels like she was the one who was responsible for Allison’s death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey again! So at first I thought I was going to be doing weekly chapters, but then I read over the first chapter and realized how insanely crappy it is, so I thought you guys deserved a better chapter to clear your memory of the first chapter! So here you go! Hope you enjoy!

The car ride to the funeral was silent. It wasn’t necessarily because Lydia and Stiles didn’t want to talk to each other, it was just that they were thinking. About Allison. About how they were feeling. 

In fact, Lydia has many thoughts on her mind. One of them was the fact that she had realized the pain Scott was going through. She wanted to talk to him as soon as she had payed her respects to Allison. 

The second thought she was currently having was that not only was she still recovering from Allison’s death, she also had to deal with Aiden’s. His funeral would be a week later than Allison’s, and she was just as unprepared for his as she was for Allison’s. 

She was also wondering who she would see here. Obviously her father would be there, and Scott, Kira, Malia, Stiles, maybe even Derek. But who else?

The main person she was afraid to see there was Gerard. 

She knew it was silly to think he would show up, but she still worried. She wondered if anyone else was thinking this, too. 

She quickly pushed that thought out of her mind and stared out the window, trying to clear her head. 

The next thing she knew, she and Stiles had arrived at the cemetery. She looked around at the people and saw some she didn’t recognize. 

She noticed Scott and Kira standing by Allison’s casket. Scott looked like he was talking to Allison, and Kira was standing by his side supportively. 

She also noticed Mr. Argent talking to someone who was probably a relative. He didn’t look too messed up today, which surprised Lydia, but she knew he had learned to deal with death, considering he had lost his wife and sister. 

She also saw Malia, who was sitting in one of the chairs that had been set up. 

Lydia had been wondering if Malia would show up. She wasn’t all that close to Allison, but Lydia was still glad she decided to come. 

Lydia looked away from the window, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. She told herself she was prepared, even though she knew she wasn’t. 

“You ready?” Stiles asked.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Lydia responded, taking one more deep breath as she opened the door. 

She stepped out and walked over to Scott and Kira, Stiles following close behind. 

“Hey...” Lydia greeted them. 

Kira gave a soft smile, while Scott stayed frozen. His hand was on Allison’s casket, and he was just looking at her. Lydia knew what he was going through, ever since she had imagined it. 

“Scott, can I talk to you?” Lydia asked softly. 

Scott still didn’t move. Lydia sighed. 

“He’s been like this for a while now, so I wouldn’t get your hopes up that he’ll answer you,” Kira told Lydia. 

“Yeah, I get it. We’re all still shaken up from her death, but Scott’s shaken up the most. Let me just try to talk to him,” Lydia said hopefully. 

“Of course. I’ll be by Malia,” Kira said. 

“I’ll go, too,” Stiles added. 

They turned and walked over towards Malia. Lydia looked at Scott and put a hand on his shoulder. 

“Scott? Are you listening?” Lydia asked softly. 

Scott took a deep breath and gave a slight nod. Lydia smiled. 

“Look, none of us can ever know what you’re going through right now. You had a stronger connection with her than any of us had. Sure, I was her best friend. But she was your first love. I totally get it, but I have to tell you something,” I said to him.

He looked up a bit, so Lydia could tell he was listening to her. 

“So, I knew you were in pain from Allison’s death, and I knew everyone was trying to comfort you. I also knew no one understood what you were going through,” Lydia paused and took a deep breath. 

“I wanted to know what you were going through, so maybe I could help you out. So, I tried to imagine this same thing happening to someone I...care about. But...I think it came stronger than I had intended,” Lydia explained. 

“It was more of a...a really vivid dream, you know? Almost like...like the banshee inside of me was trying to tell me how you were feeling. So, when I imagined...this person being killed, I suddenly knew exactly what you were going through. Scott, I felt your pain. Literally,” Lydia told him. 

Scott looked up from where he had been looking and looked at Lydia. Lydia looked back at him. 

“It hurts...” Scott admitted. 

“Yeah, it does,” Lydia agreed. 

“Do you think it will get better?” Scott asked. 

“Of course it will. You know that. Just give it time,” Lydia told him. 

“Can...can I ask you something?” Scott asked Lydia. 

“Sure,” Lydia said back. 

“Was the person you imagined being killed...Stiles?” Scott asked quietly. 

Lydia lifted an eyebrow, then looked back at Stiles. All she had to do was take one look at him, and she’d feel the butterflies in her stomach. 

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then turned back to Scott. 

“Uhm, no. It was...someone else,” Lydia lied. 

“Oh yeah? Is that why you just looked back at Stiles for a full 15 seconds?” Scott asked jokingly. 

“It was not 15 seconds!” Lydia snapped. 

“It sure felt like it,” Scott said. 

“And no. That’s not why I looked at him, in fact,” Lydia answered. 

“Then why did you?” Scott asked. 

“Because, I...” Lydia tried. 

Scott chuckled, and Lydia rolled her eyes. 

“I knew it! You have feelings for Stiles,” Scott said with a small smile on his face. 

“Is now really a good time to be talking about this?” Lydia sighed. 

“It’s perfect timing, actually. For two reasons. One, it’s helping to cheer me up. And two, if you don’t tell him now, someone else is gonna take him,” Scott told her, pointing back to where Stiles was. 

Lydia turned around to where Scott was pointing. She saw Stiles sitting in a chair next to Malia, with her head rested on his shoulder. She had her eyes closed. 

Lydia sighed in jealousy. She hated this feeling. It’s like the butterflies she had just had inside of her had been killed and were replaced with bees stinging her insides. 

“So, are you gonna tell him?” Scott asked. 

“Scott...” Lydia sighed. 

“It’s now or never. You’re gonna lose your chance,” Scott told her. 

“I’ll tell him later, ok? Today is about Allison, not me,” Lydia pointed out. 

“Yeah, you’re right. Sorry. But you better tell him soon. To be honest, I don’t want him and Malia together. I like you two together better,” Scott admitted, and Lydia laughed.

The rest of the funeral had gone better than she had expected. Everyone was talking, and there were always people trying to lighten up the mood. 

The worst part was probably the part when Lydia payed her respects to Allison. 

Lydia walked up to the casket. She looked in at Allison. Her hair was flowing neatly along her shoulders. Her makeup looked flawless. Her dress fit her perfectly. 

A tear rolled down her cheek, since Lydia knew this would be the last time she would see Allison. Her best friend.

All Lydia could think about was that she could have protected her. She could have prevented her from coming to try and save her that night. But she didn’t. 

Then Lydia noticed Allison’s necklace. It was the one Lydia had given her for her seventeenth birthday. It was silver and it had a bow and arrow on it. It meant a lot to her to see it on Allison’s neck. 

That’s when it really started to process in Lydia’s brain that Allison was dead. She was gone. Lydia would never see Allison again. Not at school. Not at her house. Not after school to study. Not at any party. Never again. 

That’s when Lydia started to cry. Tears came streaming down her face, ruining her makeup. 

All Lydia continued to think about was that this was her fault. Allison had came that night to protect Lydia. It was her fault Allison had died. Lydia knew that. 

Stiles seemed to have read Lydia’s mind, because as soon as Lydia knew it, Stiles appeared in front of her. 

“Hey, what’s wrong? What happened?” Stiles asked, clearly alarmed. 

Lydia didn’t answer. She just hugged him tightly. That’s all she needed. All she needed was his touch. 

“You know this isn’t your fault, right? None of this is your fault,” Stiles whispered into her ear. 

“It’s all my fault,” Lydia said between tears. 

“This is no one’s fault, Lydia. No one was responsible for her death, other than the Oni that killed her, ok? Do you hear me?” he said to her. 

Lydia nodded, although she still felt responsible for her death. She knew now it wasn’t entirely her fault, but she felt she could have done more to prevent it. She could have tried a little harder. 

Lydia continued hugging Stiles, just savoring the contact she was receiving while it lasted, because she knew this probably wouldn’t happen again for a while. 

When she finally let go, she decided it was time to leave. 

“I’m going to go tell Scott, Kira, Malia, and Mr. Argent goodbye,” Lydia told him. 

“I’ll come, too,” Stiles said. 

They said their goodbyes, and when Stiles and Lydia were saying goodbye to Scott, Scott pulled Lydia aside. 

“I saw you and Stiles hugging a little while ago,” Scott said. 

“It was nothing. I didn’t tell him anything. He just saw me crying and wanted to try and comfort me,” Lydia told Scott. 

“You know you have to tell him soon, right?” Scott asked. 

“Yeah, I know,” Lydia sighed. 

“Don’t worry. Honestly, he’ll be thrilled to know you like him. He’s liked you since the third grade!” Scott told Lydia. 

“I never said I LIKED him,” Lydia said, her cheeks turning red. 

“Yeah, whatever. I’ll call you later,” Scott said. 

“Ok,” Lydia said back. 

Lydia turned towards the Jeep and rolled her eyes at Scott’s remark. Maybe he was right, though, Lydia thought. Maybe...maybe Lydia did like Stiles. But even if she did, Lydia had decided that she didn’t want him to know about it. She didn’t want to complicate things. 

Lydia got to the Jeep, opened the door, and climbed into the passenger seat. 

“You ready?” Stiles asked. 

“Yeah,” Lydia answered. “I’m ready.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! From now on, I will most likely be posting weekly! Comments are always welcome and deeply appreciated. Thanks for all the love and support!


	3. Recovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lydia’s pain she’s been feeling is getting worse, and she’s beginning to think the pain will never go away. But maybe someone could help make that pain go away...?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! Sorry I haven’t been writing. I’ll try to write once a week. Thank you so much for your love and support! Also, if you notice any errors in my writing please tell me down in the comments so I can fix it. Feel free to leave any other comments you may have down below...they’re always appreciated!

When Stiles and Lydia arrived back at Lydia’s house, Lydia felt like a piece of her was gone, and Stiles knew. 

“Do...do you want me to, uh, stay? Or I can go if you want me to...” Stiles asked sheepishly. 

“No, don’t go,” Lydia responded. “I don’t want to be alone right now.”

“Ok,” Stiles agreed willingly. Lydia somehow knew that he would be ok with her wanting him to stay. 

They walked into the house and Mrs. Martin greeted them in an instant. 

“How did the funeral go?” she asked, clearly aware they were still in pain, especially Lydia. 

“Better than expected. But it obviously wasn’t a blast,” Lydia answered honestly. 

“Well, at least it went well. And I think you should cheer up. Allison would want you to,” Ms. Martin told Lydia. 

“I know. I’m trying. I really am,” Lydia admitted. 

“I know you are, sweetheart,” Ms. Martin said, and gave her a heartfelt embrace. 

“Thanks, Mom. We’re, um, we’re just gonna go upstairs now,” Lydia told her mom. 

“Oh, ok. Yeah,” Ms. Martin said, staring at Stiles. 

Lydia saw Stiles give a small smile to her mom from her peripheral vision, but her mom didn’t smile back. She knew her mom wasn’t too fond of him, but she didn’t care. She took Stiles by the hand and led him up to her room, and she made sure her mom saw the gesture. 

When they got to her room, Lydia closed the door and sighed. 

“Sorry about my mom,” she apologized. 

“No, it’s ok. I know she’s just...looking out for you,” Stiles said knowingly. 

“Yeah, but she needs to know when she’s taking it too far,” Lydia told him. 

“Lydia, it’s alright. I promise. Why are you so worked up about this?” Stiles asked, with a bit of worry in his voice. 

“What? I’m not worked up,” Lydia said, a little offended he even thought that. 

But that’s when she realized he was right. Her fists were clenched, her face was burning, and she was biting down on her bottom lip pretty hard. She took a deep breath and sunk down onto her bed. She put her head in her hands. 

“I’m sorry. You’re right. I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” Lydia blurted out. 

Stiles knelt down to be leveled with her. He put his hands on her knees. 

“It’s ok. I get it. You’ve got a lot of feelings since Allison died. We all have,” Stiles said. 

Lydia put her hands over his and looked at him. 

“Can I tell you something?” Lydia asked a bit shyly. 

“Yeah, of course,” Stiles replied. 

“You know how you walked in on me, when you came to pick me up for the funeral?” Lydia asked. 

“Yeah,” Stiles answered. 

“Well, I...I kind of...I...” Lydia stuttered, looking down at her knees. 

“Hey, look at me,” Stiles said soothingly. “You can tell me anything. I promise I won’t judge you.” 

“I know. It’s just...it’s kinda weird,” Lydia told him. 

“Nothing you’re gonna say could possibly be any weirder than anything I’ve heard before,” Stiles said a little sarcastically. 

Lydia giggled. “Ok. Before you came to pick me up for the funeral, I tried to imagine what it’d be like if...if I lost someone I loved, like Scott did. I didn’t want Scott to feel alone. I wanted him to have someone to relate to, you know? Well, it worked, and I know what he’s going through now. I feel like it’s just some sort of banshee feeling or something. But it’s been making me act really weird. At first, like you saw earlier today, it made me cry. Now it’s making me mad. I...I wish I’d never tried to imagine what it felt like,” Lydia exclaimed to him honestly. 

“Lydia...” Stiles sighed. “It’ll be alright. You don’t need to feel Scott’s pain. You already have enough pain yourself. She was your best friend! So, whoever it was you imagined dead, keep reminding yourself that they’re not dead. They’re still here with you, whenever you need them, ok? You’re allowed to deal with the pain of your best friends death, not the other persons death. Not quite yet. Ok?” Stiles told her. 

All Lydia could do was smile and not. She took a deep breath. What he said really helped. She felt more calm. Of course she still felt that throbbing pain in her heart caused by Allison’s death, but she knew that wouldn’t be going away for a while. 

“Can I ask you something? And it’s totally fine if you don’t want to answer. I’ll understand,” Stiles asked with that curious gleam in his eyes. 

“Sure,” Lydia responded. 

“Who was it that you imagined dead?” Stiles asked. 

Lydia had secretly prayed that wouldn’t be the question he would ask her. She was honestly tempted to ‘stretch the truth’ a bit, but she couldn’t live with the guilt of lying to Stiles. So, she told the truth. 

“Um...I was...I tried Jackson first, but it didn’t really give me that feeling. Then I tried Aiden, but that didn’t work either, since he’s already dead. So...then I decided to try you, because...anyway, you were the one who made me feel like that. You were the one that I imagined being dead, and made me go out of my mind,” Lydia confessed. 

Stiles looked shocked. But not in a bad way. He kind of looked...happy. 

“Really? I was the one who...made you upset?” Stiles asked, his happiness immediately turning into sadness. 

“Yeah...” Lydia said. 

“I’m so sorry. This is all my fault. I’m sorry I made you feel that way,” Stiles blurted. 

“What? You have nothing to be sorry for! You didn’t do anything! It was all me, I swear,” Lydia told him.

“I still feel like a part of this is my fault, though,” Stiles admitted. 

“Well, if you believe that, you’re lying to yourself,” Lydia said to him, and Stiles chuckled. 

“Thanks,” he replied. 

That’s when they heard a soft knock on the door. 

“Come in,” Lydia called. 

Ms. Martin walked in with a stack of blankets. 

“I brought these just in case Stiles decides to sleep here tonight. It’s getting pretty late,” Lydia’s mother explained. 

“Oh, it’s fine. There are enough blankets on the bed,” Stiles said to her. 

“I don’t think you quite understand. These blankets are for you to make a bed on the floor,” Ms. Martin told him with a bit of sass in her voice. “Goodnight.”

Lydia sighed and gave a slight eye roll. “Goodnight, Mom. “

Ms. Martin left the room. Lydia looked over at Stiles, whose cheeks were flushed with embarrassment. 

“Hey, it’s fine. She’s just...a mom. Ignore her,” Lydia told him. 

“Did...did you want me to stay over?” Stiles asked. 

“Yeah, if it’s ok with you,” Lydia said a bit shyly. 

“Of course I will. I’ll...get my bed set up,” Stiles said, embarrassed again. 

“Um, my floor isn’t very comfortable. You could sleep up here. If you want to,” Lydia offered. 

“What about your mom?” Stiles asked, scared that her mom would find out and be mad.

“Ignore her. If you want to, you can sleep up here.”

“Only if you want me to,” Stiles said, clearly hoping she’d want him to. 

“Yeah, I do want you to,” Lydia replied honestly. 

Stiles nodded and put the extra blankets down. 

“Do me a favor and lock the door,” Lydia asked. 

“Why?” Stiles asked a bit anxiously, but clearly happy, too. 

“So my mom doesn’t kill us,” Lydia answers truthfully. Stiles laughed. 

“That’s true.”

He walked over to the door and silently locked the door. He then crawled into bed carefully. He turned to face Lydia. 

“Thanks for staying with me,” Lydia said. 

“No problem at all,” Stiles responded. 

“You wanted to stay, didn’t you?”

“Why would you think that?”

“I can see it in your eyes”

Stiles closed his eyes. “How about now?”

Lydia giggled. “You’re honestly a dork,” she said smiling. 

“I know. It keeps me awake at night,” Stiles sarcastically agreed. 

Lydia laughed. She put her arms around his waist and buried her face in his chest. Stiles was shocked by this contact, but he didn’t mind it. Once he got comfortable enough, he wrapped his arms around her comfortingly. 

“It’ll all be ok soon. You know that, right?” Stiles asked. 

“Yeah, I know. I just want the pain to go away soon,” Lydia told him. 

“We all do. But we can help heal each other,” Stiles said to her. 

“Definitely. You already helped heal me today,” Lydia admitted to him. 

“Really? I thought that was just an attempt to a pep talk,” he told her. 

“No, it really did help me. Thank you,” Lydia thanked him. 

“Yeah, of course,” Stiles replied. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Sorry it was so short. I’ll make sure the next one is longer. I hope to get the next chapter in by next week, but if I don’t I’m sorry. Once again, feel free to leave comments! They’re always appreciated.


	4. Mo[u]rning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! I am so sorry that I haven’t been updating weekly like I said. With school coming to an end things are pretty stressful and I’ve had zero time to write. Thank you and I really hope you understand. Enjoy the chapter!

Lydia awoke to the bright glow coming from her window. The sunlight. She rubbed her eyes as they started to water from the light. She stretched a bit, then turned her body to face Stiles. It was becoming a little weird to her that he had slept in the same bed as her last night, but she didn’t regret asking him to stay. 

She continued to memorize his face. She had never seen him asleep before. Except maybe a glimpse on the bus when they had stayed at the motel, but she didn’t think that counted. 

A few moments later, she noticed Stiles begin to shift his body. She realized he was slowly waking up. She knew he had a hard time waking up sometimes, so she let him take his time. Not many minutes later, she noticed Stiles open his eyes. She gave a small smile. 

“Hey. You’re finally awake,” Lydia joked. 

“How long have you been up staring at me?” Stiles asked with his raspy morning voice. 

“I wasn’t staring at you,” Lydia lied. 

“Then what were you doing?” Stiles asked curiously, propping himself up on his elbow. 

“I read somewhere that if you look at a person that is sleeping they’ll wake up quicker,” Lydia answered. She had stretched the truth a bit on that one. The fact was true, but that wasn’t why she was staring at him. 

“Ok then,” Stiles said, but Lydia got the feeling he knew that wasn’t true. “Did you sleep ok?” 

“Actually, I slept better than I have in days,” Lydia replied. “I guess it’s because the stress and dread of Allison’s funeral is gone.” 

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” Stiles agreed. 

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. 

“Lydia? Can I come in?” 

It was Ms. Martin. Lydia sat up, alarmed. 

“Quick! Make a bed on the ground!” Lydia whispered to Stiles. 

Stiles got up quickly, knowing why she’d instructed him to do that. He made a bed with the blankets to the left of Lydia’s bed and laid down. He put a thumbs up and winked at Lydia to let her know she could let her mother in. 

“Coming!” Lydia called. She got out of bed and walked over to the door. She unlocked it and her mom stepped in. 

“Hey, Mom,” Lydia said. 

“Good morning. I was just checking in on you,” her mom responded, looking directly at a “sleeping” Stiles.

“Yeah, we’re fine. He’s still sleeping though, so you might want to leave so you don’t wake him up,” Lydia told her mom. 

“Yeah, nice try. I know he’s not even sleeping and that he slept in your bed last night,” her mother busted them. 

Stiles sat up awkwardly and bit his lip in embarrassment. 

“What? How...how’d you know?” Lydia asked, a little confused. 

“The bed you made on the floor doesn’t even have the slightest wrinkle in it,” she explained. 

Lydia glanced at the bed. Her mother wasn’t wrong. Stiles had made the bed a little too perfect. 

“And there isn’t even a pillow down there. And I know Stiles can’t sleep without his pillow,” Ms. Martin added. 

Lydia chuckled under her breath. She was right. Lydia heard Stiles let out a small laugh, too. 

“So...aren’t you going to get mad?” Lydia asked her mom, a little nervous. 

“No, I’m not. I didn’t think I’d be able to convince two young teenagers to follow an adult’s rules,” Ms. Martin told them. 

Lydia smiled. “Thanks, Mom.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Ms Martin said with a smile. “I have breakfast ready downstairs when you two are ready.”

“Oh, you didn’t have to do that, Ms. Martin,” Stiles said. 

“It was no problem,” she responded. “I’ll be downstairs.” 

“Alright. Thanks,” Lydia said. 

Her mom nodded and closed the door behind her. Lydia looked at Stiles and walked towards him. 

“You should have made the bed more believable. I thought you were smarter than that,” Lydia said with a smile and a laugh. 

“All you said was to make a bed on the ground! You didn’t say to make it believable!” Stiles teased. 

“I didn’t think I had to!” Lydia laughed. 

Stiles laughed along with her. It had only taken one night for her to already start to feel better from the funeral. Only one night with Stiles. One night with him is what it took to heal her. But she knew this newfound happiness wouldn’t last her long. 

There was still a space. A space between her and reality. She still hadn't completely grasped the fact that Allison and Aiden were gone, and they weren’t coming back. There was a strange space between her and the pack, and it was weird to look at each other knowing Allison wasn’t there. That there would never be another moment where the four of them—Stiles, Lydia, Scott, and Allison—would never be together again. Lydia couldn’t quite grasp that. 

Lydia was lost in thought, and when she came back to reality, Stiles looked at her with a concerned look. 

“Hello? Lydia? Earth to Lydia?” Stiles tried to get her attention. 

“Huh?” Lydia snapped out of it. 

“Are you ok? You looked like you were lost in thought there,” Stiles asked. 

“Just thinking about things,” Lydia answered. 

“About what?” Stiles asked, curiosity in his voice. 

“About how me, you, Scott, and Allison will never be in the same room together. We will never have any more memories together. She’ll never be with us again,” Lydia told him. 

“I’ve been thinking about that too, if I’m being honest. It’s...hard to grasp,” Stiles admitted. 

“Yeah, I can’t grasp it either,” Lydia said. 

Lydia sighed and looked at Stiles. 

“Can I ask you a question?” she asked shyly. 

“Sure, anything.”

“Do you feel...a space between the pack?” 

“What do you mean?”

“Well, ever since Allison died, it’s been weird to be around the pack, like Scott, Kira, Isaac...something even you. Just knowing a part of us is gone is...different. It’s scary,” Lydia confessed. 

“I think I know the feeling. It’s been a little weird talking to Scott. We’ve had so many conversations together about him and Allison that it’s almost like sometimes we don’t know what to talk about,” Stiles told Lydia.

“Yeah, that's how I feel too. I want to shake the feeling, but I can’t. I’ve tried so hard, Stiles. I really have,” Lydia said. 

“Hey, it’s ok. All you need is time, and time is all you’re gonna get. We’re all gonna need time,” Stiles tells her. 

“You’re right. I just want everything to be back to normal, you know?” Lydia asked. 

“I know. We all do. You just have to get used to this new life without Allison physically by our side,” Stiles said. 

“What do you mean physically by our side?” Lydia asked curiously.

“Well, she’ll always be by our sides. Just not...physically. We won’t see her, but she’s there,” Stiles explained. 

“You know what? You’re right,” Lydia agreed. 

She smiled and took a deep breath. 

“Maybe after Aiden’s funeral things will begin to go back to normal,” Lydia told him. 

“Hopefully,” Stiles said back. 

“Hey, you’re breakfast is getting cold you two!” Ms. Martin called from downstairs. 

“We’re coming!” Lydia answered. 

“Let’s just ignore reality. Just for a little while, ok?” Lydia asked. 

“I’m totally fine with that,” Stiles agreed with a small laugh. 

Lydia smiled. She took her hand in his and opened the door. 

She took a deep breath. They stepped through the door, then Lydia shut it behind them, reality being shut out with it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you’ve enjoyed this chapter. Sorry it was so short! I’ll try to write the next chapter longer and as soon as possible. Thank you so much for reading and, as always, comments are greatly appreciated.


	5. Midday Memories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I’m so sorry for my inactivity lately! I’ve been having a rough few months that have involved severe writer’s block, but now I think I’m back and ready to write! As always, thanks for all the love and comments are always welcome and appreciated!

On Friday morning, a week after Allison’s funeral, Lydia awoke to her phone going off. She groaned as she realized she forgot to put her phone on mute last night, silently cursing herself for it. 

She rolled over and grabbed her phone. As soon as her eyes adjusted to the light of her phone, she noticed she had received a text from Scott. 

“Call me.”

Lydia rubbed her eyes and unlocked her phone. She found Scott’s contact and clicked the call button, bringing her phone up to her right ear. 

“Hey, Lydia,” Scott said with a soft voice. 

“Hi.”

“I was just calling to see if you wanted to get brunch with me and Stiles in about half an hour?” 

Lydia raised an eyebrow at the word ‘brunch’. She glanced at her clock and read the bright blue numbers. 10:15. Did she really sleep in this late?

“Yeah, sure. Should I drive myself, or-“

“No, we can pick you up.”

“Thanks. I’ll be ready in thirty.”

“See you then.”

Lydia ended the call and put her phone on her dresser. She quickly threw on an outfit, a floral skirt with a white top. She did her hair and makeup as quickly as possible, and when she had finished she picked up her phone and checked the time. 

10:40. Five minutes to spare. 

Lydia carefully chose a pair of heels from her closet and slipped them onto her feet. She walked downstairs and found her mom sitting on the couch. 

“Hey, Mom. I’m going out for brunch with Scott and Stiles,” Lydia informer her mother. 

“Alright. Have fun and be safe.”

“I will, Mom,” Lydia assured her. 

Lydia checked her phone again. 10:45. She grabbed her purse and walked outside, but the Jeep was nowhere to be seen. Lydia sighed and waited, beginning to grow a little impatient.

At 10:47, she finally noticed the familiar blue Jeep turn the corner. She smiled and crossed her arms. When it pulled up into her driveway, she walked over to the passenger seat. Scott immediately got out of the passenger seat for Lydia. 

“Oh, you can stay there. I’ll sit in the back, it’s ok,” Lydia told him. 

“No, you sit in the front,” Scott insisted. “I’ll be fine in the back.”

“Thanks,” Lydia said with a smile.

She entered the Jeep carefully and set down her bag by her feet. She glanced at Stiles, who gave her a soft smile. She couldn’t help but notice her heartbeat begin to pick up. 

“You okay?” he asked her. 

She gave a small nod. She knew he was talking about how she was holding up after the funeral. 

After about five minutes of sitting in the car, Lydia finally realized she had no clue where they were taking her for brunch. 

“Where are we going?” she asked curiously. 

“Umm, some diner Scott had recommended we try. He’s been there before,” Stiles answered. 

“It’s really good. I’m sure you guys will like it,” Scott assured them. 

Lydia nodded and looked out the window. 

About three minutes later, they arrived at a place called Dolly’s Diner. The name sounded vaguely familiar to Lydia, but she couldn’t quite remember where she had heard it. 

They walked in and followed a server to a booth. Scott slid into one side, while Lydia slid into the other, and Stiles sat down next to Lydia. Lydia hoped Stiles didn’t notice her smile when he sat down next to her.

“I don’t know why but this place sounds so familiar to me. I know I haven’t been here before, but something about the name just jogs a memory,” Lydia tells them. 

“I don’t think I’ve heard of this place before, so you definitely didn’t hear it from me,” Stiles guaranteed her. 

“I don’t remember telling you about this place, but I easily could have,” Scott replied. 

“Yeah, I don’t know where I-“ 

Then she remembered. 

 

*Flashback*

 

“Come on, you should really come with me.”

“You go! I have to study!”

“Lydia, you’re one of the smartest people I know! You don’t need to study! Please come with me!”

“I don’t even know the name of this diner. Let alone if the food’s good.”

“It’s called Dolly’s Diner. Not that it matters. Will you please just tag along?”

“Allison, please tell me the real reason you want me to come, then maybe I’ll consider going with you,” Lydia pleaded. 

Allison sighed. “I’m afraid I’ll see my dad there. And if it’s just me and Scott going, my dad will know we’re back together! But if you come, I’ll say that you invited me without telling me that you also invited Scott! See, I have it all planned out, and you’re a pretty big part of the plan!” 

“Why do you think you’ll see your dad there of all places and times?” Lydia asked. 

“Because he loves this diner!” 

“Then just choose a new place to go!” 

“You see, I would, but Scott really wanted to try this diner with me,” Allison explained. 

“I bet there are plenty of other places you and Scott could possibly really want to try,” Lydia assured her. 

“Lydia, pleaseee!” Allison begged. 

“No, I’m not being a third wheel again.”

“I’ll do anything for you! I’ll...do your homework!”

“Nope.”

“I’ll do your chores!” 

“No.”

“I’ll get you a date with Stiles!”

“Wait, what?” Lydia asked, stunned. 

“Ha! So that’s what you want? Done! I’ll get that for you if you come with me to the diner!” Allison bargained. 

“Woah, slow down. I never said I wanted to go on a date with him.”

“Then why’d you stutter?”

“Because I was surprised you would even say something like that!”

“Mhm. Yeah right.”

“Ok, we’re getting way off topic here,” Lydia said, desperately trying to change the subject. 

“Will you just come with me please?” Allison begged. 

“No. And here’s why. One, you need to get over whatever reason you’re hiding this relationship from your dad for. Two, you won’t even tell me, you’re best friend, why you have to hide your relationship from your parents, even though everyone else seems to know the big secret! And three, I have to study!” Lydia explains to Allison. 

“Lydia,”

“Please, just go on your date already.”

Allison sighs and runs her hand through her hair. 

“You know I want to tell you, right?”

“What?”

“The ‘big secret.’” Allison puts air quotes around the words ‘big secret’. 

“If you really wanted to tell me, you would’ve already. Now please leave for your date,” Lydia snaps. 

Allison bites the bottom of her lip and nods. “I’ll see you soon.”

“Yeah, you too,” Lydia says to Allison as she walks out the door. 

 

*End of flashback*

 

“Lydia? Lydia, are you ok?” 

She doesn’t even realize what’s going on until she feels warm tears on her cheeks and Stiles’ hand on her shoulder. She quickly looks up at him. 

“I remember.”

“Remember what?” Stiles asked in a concerned voice. 

“I...I remember this diner,” Lydia tries to explain. 

“Have you been here before?” Scott asks calmly. 

“No, but...I remember Allison wanted me to come here with you, Scott. Back when Mr. Argent didn’t know you two were together again,” Lydia told the boys. 

“Oh yeah. I remember that day. Allison was scared out of her mind that her dad would show up. He never did though. She was scared for nothing,” Scott remembered. 

Lydia let out a small laugh. That really did sound like Allison. 

“Are you ok?” Stiles asked her, his hand still on her shoulder protectively. 

“Yeah, I’m ok. Memories can’t hurt me, right?” Lydia tried to convince herself, plastering a fake smile on her face. 

Stiles narrowed his eyes suspiciously, like he could see right through her. “Yeah.”

The waitress came soon after, and they all ordered their meals. When the food came they all ate quickly as if this was the last meal they’d ever eat. Stiles insisted on paying the check, which made both Scott and Lydia angry. But in the end, Lydia knows Stiles always wins. 

Once everything was payed, they walked outside. Lydia sighed, still trying to push the memory from earlier out of her head. 

“I’ll be right back, I’ve got to use the bathroom really quick,” Scott told them both before walking back into the diner. 

Stiles turned to face Lydia and took her hand in his. 

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Stiles asked. 

“Yeah, I think so,” Lydia tried to assure him. 

“You think?”

“It’s just, I keep thinking about Allison. I can’t help it. No matter where I go, or what I’m doing, she’s here,” Lydia ranted.

“And that’s a bad thing?” 

“What?”

“I think you should be optimistic. If you think about it, you want Allison to be here, right? So, having memories about her all the time makes it seem like she’s still here with us. Don’t you think?” Stiles explained to her. 

Lydia had never looked at it that way. Maybe Allison wasn’t really gone. Maybe Allison wants her to know that even though she’s not physically there, she’ll always be there. 

Lydia smiled at Stiles’ point of view. “You’re right. Thanks.” 

Lydia wrapped her arms around his upper back and sunk into him. She could feel Stiles jump a bit, but then he returned the contact and wrapped his arms around her waist. She buried her face in his neck, desperately trying to take his advice and be optimistic and not burst out in tears. 

Eventually, they let go of each other, but Stiles held out his hand for Lydia to take. She interlocked her fingers with his as they waited for Scott to come back out of the diner. 

Soon enough, Lydia saw Scott exit the doors of the diner. “Hey, you guys ready?” 

“Yeah,” Lydia confirmed. “I’m ready.”

And this time, for the first time in awhile, she really meant it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for taking the time to read this chapter! As I said before, comments are always appreciated and welcome. I’ll try to update as soon as possible!

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Once again, sorry for the super short chapter! They will for sure be longer in the future. Comments are welcome and deeply appreciated. Thanks for your support!


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